The Walking Dead - Across the Pond
by TheEyre
Summary: A story based in Robert Kirkman's "The Walking Dead" universe that tells the story about a group of British survivors in London. Blurb - After waking up alone in his flat, nursing the mother of all hangovers, Alex Pond is greeted by an unusual panic outside. It soon becomes clear that the dead have returned… This will be updated as chapters are finished. Please read and review.
1. Chapter 1

**The Walking Dead – Across the Pond**

**Chapter 1 – Waking Up**

The pain behind his eyes was beating in rhythm with his heart as he unstuck his tongue from the roof of his mouth, with the taste of whiskey still strong on his palette. Alex Pond was lying on his bed in his one bedroom flat on the third floor of an apartment building in London after another night of drinking himself to sleep. He was still a little dazed as he slowly began to regain function of his senses. The pain was relentless as he struggled to open his eyes.

He had spent a couple of years wasting away like this, slowly distancing himself from a society that he saw as broken. It wasn't that he didn't like people; it was that he found he had less and less in common with them as years went by. His thoughts drifted back to when he lived at home with his parents in Manchester. He hadn't had a lavish upbringing but it was a good one as far as he was concerned, but after leaving to study economics in London he felt he had lost everything and so began to drink his days away in his one bedroom flat.

His thoughts were broken by a loud scream piercing through his half open window and his ears. The sound caused Alex to cringe as the pain pulsed once again from behind his eyes. He rolled onto his side and was dazzled by the sight of 9 o'clock morning sun. Another scream came through followed by the sound of smashing glass. It was the sound of a woman. He was used to the loud bustle of London but it sounded more panicked than anything else. His brain turned over as fast as it could to process what was happening but came up with nothing. The sound of another shout and bang filled the small flat, something was happening down on the street.

Alex lifted himself to his feet in a lacklustre way as the pain caused the room to blur a little. He took hold of his bed post to steady himself. The sound from outside was becoming clearer, it wasn't just one woman but the sound of many in a state of panic. He stumbled, bare footed, to the window and drew back to thin curtains. What he saw almost caused him to fall back in disbelief. Broken glass from windows and cars was scattered around the entire street as groups of people were running from buildings. "Was this a riot?" he thought to himself as he reached for his glasses on the bedside table. As his vision came more into focus he saw the devastation that lay before him. As far as he could see the city was in anarchy but it soon became clear that this was no riot. A man ran down the street underneath Alex's window, his right arm covered in blood. He slowed to catch his breath as, what looked like; three men came from around a car, pushed him to the ground and began to… eat him. Alex stumbled backwards with his hand to his mouth. He frantically tried to understand what he just saw. It was too much; he threw up in the corner of his room whilst steadying himself against the wall.

Collecting himself, he knew he had to leave the apartment and find out what was happening. Flicking on the TV Alex began to throw on some clothes he had on his floor from the previous day. He slowed as he pulled his t-shirt over his head. The TV was blank. The channels cycled through as he thumbed the button on the remote but they were all the same, a message saying they will return soon.

"What the hell is going on?"

Throwing on his jacket Alex swung open the front door and began to descend the stairs hurriedly, the image of the man being eaten alive spinning around in his mind. His heart was racing by the time he got to the ground floor. Taking a second to catch his breath the realisation of the silence of the usually busy apartment building sunk in… Something was seriously wrong.

Through the silence the sound of the main entrance door creaking open almost screamed through the halls. Five creatures stumbled through the door, blood dripping from their mouths and hands, their eyes whited over, about ten meters from where Alex was standing. They lunged forward making a gargling, moaning sort of noise. Alex fell backwards into the door to the maintenance room as he panicked from the sight that was set before him. Quickly trying to react he spun around and threw himself into the cupboard, locking it shut with a metal mop handle. The creatures banged and screeched against the door as Alex stood, bewildered in the darkened maintenance closet. London, it appeared, was in decay.


	2. Chapter 2

**The Walking Dead – Across the Pond**

**Chapter 2 – Guardian**

The small cupboard was dark and stank of damp and mould. There was a small amount of light percolating into the room from a tiny, cobweb covered window on the back wall. Alex was frantically trying to stop the creatures on the other side of the door from getting in. Moans and loud bangs rang around the air like a terrifying orchestra.

Gathering himself, Alex began to scan his surroundings, looking for any kind of weapon or escape plan. Fight or flight was kicking in but he didn't know which one he was going to have to use yet. He had never been much of a fighter and the fear he was feeling was beginning to freeze up his limbs. No, he couldn't die like this… Like the man out on the street. A hard bang on the door shoved him forward, stumbling a little he threw himself back up against the door; it was only a matter of time until the decision was made for him.

Alex had never been good with decision making. The only big decision he had ever made was to leave Manchester, his parents and his girlfriend behind. He had always regretted it and it had had an adverse effect on his ability to make any kind of new choice. This, added to the fear that was still building into full blown panic caused him to stand still, against the door, and do nothing. Another shove from the other side bounced him away and bent the hollowed metal mop handle wedged between the door and the frame. This was it. He spun around and took hold of a hammer that was hanging below the window at the back of the cupboard. Squinting slightly he readied himself for whatever was going to come through that door when the handle finally gave way completely. Another bang and the mop handle bent into a full right angle.

"Please… help me" Alex whispered as he closed his eyes and tensed his body. A bead of sweat ran down the side of his head as the air felt painfully still. He swallowed hard.

A loud bang broke the stillness, but this wasn't the door breaking through, as he had expected. It sounded more like a gunshot. Two more rang through the building, Alex flinched at each one. The door had stopped moving and the moaning that had almost become the soundtrack to his desperate situation had ceased. The air was still again.

Alex leaned his head against the door and cleared his throat a little "H… Hello?"

A strong kick broke through Alex's defences, knocking him and the mop handle to the floor and opening a small cut on the side of his face. As he looked up there was a 6" 3 man standing at the door pointing an assault rifle back in the direction of the stare.

"Corporal Stewart Campbell, stay very still. Have you been bitten?"

It was a strong Scottish accent and it seemed well fitted to the strong jaw line it came from. Even if the man wasn't holding a gun, Alex would never stand a chance in taking him down.

Alex gathered himself enough to attempt a reply. "Err... n… no. I'm fine. I think."

"Have you got any food or water here? Or maybe weapons?"

"There's some food upstairs I think but no… no weapons. What's going on out there? Who are you?"

"Real question fairy aren't ya. Well here's the quick overview. First off I've already told you my name, so you should have been listening the first time. Second, the city has fallen to some sort of disease. When you die, you don't stay dead. You come back as one of these bastards." Stewart kicked one of the fallen bodies, causing Alex to flinch once more. "If you get bitten or scratched the fever will burn you out. So avoid that lad. That's about all there is to it. Good Luck." Stewart lowered his gun and turned to walk towards the main door.

"Wait, you can't just leave me here." Alex was now pulling himself to his feet. "Isn't the army meant to protect people or be doing something about all of this?" This caused the infantryman to look back with a small smile creeping up his face, the kind of smile that scared Alex more than these 'walking dead'.

"Her majesty's finest are too busy trying to save themselves lad. So you better get wise and fast because these fuckers don't have a pussy setting. I watched a man die screaming as one of these biters tore away his face and ate it like a nice slab of beef. Now dust yourself off, change your pants and block yourself in real good… and if you're a religious kind of guy you better get to prayin' because I could use the fuckin' help."

"Wait… I'm coming with you." Alex stepped over the pool of blood that was gathering outside of the cupboard where three walkers had a clean hole in each of their heads.

"Like fuck you are, I've had ten years training for this. What have you had... ten minutes pissing yourself in the closet?"

Stewart swung open the front door and proceeded to leave the building, rifle held at eye level. Alex began to panic again. He didn't want to be left on his own, not after what had just happened. He also didn't want to argue with the wishes of a large angry Scotsman. Beginning to shake from the shock he made the decision to follow Stewart, attempting to be quiet and not let on that he was tailing him at all. After all, Alex thought, the army couldn't really shoot civilians… could they?


End file.
